Electric switch



June 11, 1935. F. w. SONN ELECTRIC SWITCH 3 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1934 INVENTOR Fred WSonn WITNESSES: M 4 W1. M

June 11, 1935. F. w. SONN ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 10, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR: Fred W Sonn WITNESSES: M

ATTORNEY June 11, 1935. F. w. SONN 2,004,772

ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 10, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.6 :1 1-; 61 6o 1:; t

Z6 2'1 3 49 T l 11':

Insulation J WITNES S: INVENTOR Fr'd W S onn Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

, This invention relates to electric switches and has for an object to provide a new type of switch adapted to switch the current from one circuit to another and to break the circuit by the continuous movement of a moving part.

A further object of the invention is to provide a switch in circuit with two current consuming devices, and with a movable control member, said switch adapted to function under the control of said movable member to first switch the current from one circuit to the other circuit, and at a further continuance of movement, to break the circuit and to reverse the order upon the reverse movement of the movable part.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electric switch especially, though not exclusively, adapted for the control of coils for heating purposes, whereby a coil located in one position is in circuit and the switch is actuated by a moving part to switch the current to a coil in another position, and by a further movement of the part, to break the circuit to both coils and to reverse the order upon reverse movement of the moving part, said moving part being in such heat installation thermostatically controlled.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electric switch, especially, though not exclusively, adapted for coacticn with a hot water boiler for supplying current to one coil located in heating position relative to the boiler, with thermostatically actuating moving means which, upon movement, will switch the current to a second coil while breaking the circuit to the first mentioned coil, and by a continued movement of such thermostatically controlled part, to break the circuit to both coils, the circuits being made in exactly reverse order upon the reverse movement of the thermostatically controlled moving part.

The invention, therefore, comprises a switch device having switch members, one of which is adapted to make the circuit to either one of a plurality of current consuming agencies, another switch being adapted to break the circuit to all current consuming agencies, and a movable part adapted within its limit of movement to perform all of said switching functions, and upon reverse movement, to make the circuits in reverse order.

The drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and the several views are as follows:

Figure 1 is a view.of the switch in side elevation,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the switch,

Figure 3 is a view of the switch from the side opposite that shown at Figure 1, and shown in connection with a Bourdon tube as a control,

Figure 4 is a longitudinal-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is an end view of the switch, as indi- 5 cated by arrow 5 at Figure 1,

Figure 6 is an end view of the switch as indicated by arrow 6 at Figure l, and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic disclosure of one application of the present switch, being applied to a conventional water heater.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The electric switch which forms the subjectmatter of this application is adapted for general utility, but is more particularly adapted for thermostatic control of electric heating coils for hot water heaters, and will be so described in the present application, it being understood, however, that the particular combination is only one of 20 many, and that the invention is in no way limited to such combination.

The invention comprises an insulating base block I!) which is mounted in any approved manner. When associated with the installation referred to, the block is preferably mounted upon a bracket H which is secured to some type of supporting structure by means of a bolt through the perforation l2. In this type a tube I3 is inserted into the boiler l4 and is, therefore, subjected to the temperature of the water within the boiler. Communicating with this tube I3 is a Bourdon tube l5 and both the tube 13 and the Bourdon tube 15 are filled with some material, liquid preferred, having a high coefiicient of expansion, whereby the arcature of the Bourdon tube varies with the temperature of the water in the boiler I4 in the usual, well-known manner.

Under such conditions the block 10 is mounted upon the bracket I I by means of a bolt I6 passing through a plate H, which being turned at an angle as at I8, is rigidly secured to the block in any approved manner, as by the bolts or screws IS.

The plate I! is provided with an elongated slot 20 in which fits a stud 2| mounted eccentrically upon the spindle 22 extending outwardly at the front of the organization. A head 23 is provided for the manual turning of the spindle 22, as indicated more particularly at Figure 1.

A pointer 24 is preferably carried by the spindle 22 and movable relative to an arcuate scale 25. The oscillation of the spindle 22 moving the eccentric 2| so that the block l0 may be tilted from full line positions, as shown at Figure 3, to dotted line position indicated at H! shown in that figure.

The reason for this movement will be more apparent as the description progresses.

Mounted upon the block III are two uprights 26 and 21 rigidly connected to the block I in insulated relation, as by screws 28. These uprights 26 and 21 are, respectively, provided with means diagrammatically represented by the perforations 29 and 38, respectively, for making connection of electrical conductors therewith.

Mounted also upon the block In is an angle member 3| also provided with means for attach ing an electrical conductor therewith, by the perforation 32. This angle member 3| is also rigidly attached to the block I0 and is provided with a contact 33. Mounted also upon the block is a substantially U-shaped member 34 which has a contact 35 overlying the contact 33. This U-shaped member 34 is also provided with a contact 36 on its lower leg, and on its upper leg, with an insulating member 31.

A pair of switch arms 38 and 33 are fulcrumed upon the uprights 26 and 21. This fulcruming is preferably by means of a knife edge connection, as shown at 46 in Figure 4, and in dotted lines at Figures 1 and 2.

These switch arms 38 and 39 are bifurcated, as shown at 4| and 42, respectively, in Figure 2, and perforated at 43 and 44, as seen in the same figure.

The loops 45 and 46 of springs 41 and 48 are looped through said perforations 43 and 44, and the opposite ends of said springs are permanently secured to threaded studs 49 and 50, respectively. The position of securing the springs 41 and 49 upon the studs 48 and 50 are adjustable by turning such studs so that the normal pull of said springs from the studs to the loops is independently variable but always below the fulcrums of the arms 38 and 39, tending, therefore, to hold these arms normally yieldingly downwardly.

The arm 38 is provided with a double ended contact adapted to make contact with either of the contacts 33 or 35, and held normally in engagement with the contact 33 by the tension of its spring 41.

The arm 39 is provided with a single contact 52 which is held normally by the spring 48 in engagement with the contact 36 and is adapted, under the conditions to be hereinafter described, to rise into engagement with the insulating block 31, as is also the contact 5| adapted to rise in contact with the contact 35.

For actuating the switches a movable finger 53 is located beneath the springs 41 and 48. This finger '53 may be moved in any approved manner, mechanically, or manually, but in the illustrative embodiment, is connected to the Bourdon tube I5 by means of a bracket 54 so that as the Bourdon tube varies its curvature, the finger 53 moves toward or away from the springs 41 and 48 and in a further movement, in the direction toward said springs, to lift the springs to the dotted line position as shown at Figure 1. This lifting will throw the tension above the fulcrums 4|! of the switch arms 38 and 39 and thereby cause these switch arms to lift from the normal engagement with the contacts 33 and 36, as shown more particularly at Figures 1, 4 and 5, into engagement with the upper contact 35 and the insulating block 31.

The relation of the finger 53 and the adjustment of the springs, however, are such that the two switch arms are not actuated simultaneously. As the finger 53 lifts the first result is to lift the spring 41 to a position above the fulcrum of the arm 33 and to thereby break connection between the contacts 33 and 5| and to make engagement between the contacts 35 and 5|.

A continued lifting of the finger 53 performs the same function upon the spring 48, lifting the contact 52 from engagement with the contact 36, the movement being limited by the insulating block 31.

It is, therefore, obvious that by tilting the block l6 from the full line position to the dotted line position, as shown at Figure 3, or to intermediate points, the finger 53 is brought relatively nearer to the springs 41 and 48, and is, therefore, in position to actuate said springs sooner, in relation to the movement of the Bourdon tube than when the block is in full line position. The actuation of the switches then takes place upon a minimum variation of temperature, if connected up as shown in the drawings, whereas when in full line positions, the various parts coact only upon a greater variation of temperature.

As shown at Figure 7, the boiler I4 is provided with an inner tube 55 in which are located heating coils 56 and 51, conventionally shown. A line wire 58 connects with both of said coils. From the coil 56 a wire 59 leads to the bar 3|, which is electrically associated with the contact 36. From the coil 51 a wire 60 leads to the upright 21. The other line wire 6| leads to the upright 26.

In operation with both of the switch arms 38 and 39 down, thereby making contact with the contacts 33 and 36, current will fiow through the line wire 6| to the upright 26 and through the switch arm 38 to contact 33 and through the bar 3| to the line 53 through the coil 56 to the line wire 53, thereby energizing the coil 56.

When the finger 53 has been lifted sufliciently to raise the switch arm 38, so that the contact 5| is in engagement with the contact 35, current will flow through the line wire 6| to the upright 26 through the switch arm 38 and the two contacts mentioned, to the bar 34 to the contact 36, through the contact 52 to the switch arm 39 to the upright 21, line 69 through the coil 51, through the line 58, thereby energizing the coil 51.

It is apparent that the coil 51 will only take current and be energized after the circuit controlling the coil 56 has been broken and that both of such coils will not be simultaneously energized.

When the finger 53 rises a still further distance, as indicated in dotted lines at Figure l, the switch arm 39 will be raised, thereby breaking the circuit and deenergizing the coil 51. As the finger 53 moves again downwardly, the first switch to close will be the switch arm 39 which will again in the same manner energize the coil 51. Further descent of the finger 53 will break the circuit to the coil 51 and make the circuit to the coil 56.

The movement of the finger 53, as has been pointed out, may be accomplished in any approved manner, and the heating coils 56 and 51 are shown merely as illustrating two separate current consuming devices. When employed as a water heating installation, the energizing of the top coil 56 will, of course, heat the water in the top of the boiler. When this has been heated to such an extent that the inserted tube 3 has responded to the heat and thereby expanded the Bourdon tube, the finger will be raised to break the circuit to the coil 56 and make the circuit to the coil 51. This will supply heat to the bottom of the boiler.

If now the entire contents were raised to such a temperature that the Bourdon tube is further expanded, then the finger 53 will raise the spring 48 and the switch arm 39 and break the circuit so that all energizing ceases.

It is obvious that connected to any other two current consuming devices, the action of energizing the two would be the same and the result would be the same whether the finger 53 is operated automatically by the position of the Bourdon tube or manually, mechanically, or otherwise.

It will be obvious that the present invention comprehends a switch including only a single switch arm, as for instance, the arm 88. It is also obvious that it may include a greater number of switch arms than the two shown and described. The invention is, therefore, to be understood as directed toward the construction and operation of one or more switch arms with its or their associated spring or springs, and with a movable finger operating directly upon the spring or springs for actuating the switch arm or arms.

Of course, the electric switch herein illustrated may be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the invention herein set forth and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:--

1. A switch comprising a base block, an upright intermediate the ends thereof, cooperating switch arms having corresponding ends fulcrumed in the upright and extending toward one end of the base, switch contacts cooperating with said extended ends, posts' erected on the base adjacent to the end opposite the contacts, springs attached to the posts and spanning the fulcrum attached to the switch arms tensioned to hold the switch arms at one limit of movement, and means moving laterally, in the same direction relative to both springs to successively shift the tension across the fulcrums to move the switch arms to the opposite limit of movement.

2. A switch comprising a base block, an upright intermediate the ends thereof, cooperating switch arms having corresponding ends fulcrumed in the upright and extending toward one end of the base, switch contacts cooperating with said extended ends, threaded posts erected on the base adjacent to the end opposite the contacts, springs attached to the posts by loops engaging thethreads and spanning the fulcrum attached to the switch arms tensioned to hold the switch arms at one limit of movement, and means moving laterally, in the same direction relative to the springs to successively shift the tensions across the fulcrums to move the switch arms to the opposite limit of movement.

3. A switch organization comprising a Bourdon tube, a base block pivoted relative to the Bourdon tube, a switch arm fulcrumed upon the base block, a spring positioned to exert tension across the fulcrum, a finger carried by the Bourdon tube positioned to exert pressure upon the spring laterally tending to shift the tension across the fulcrum, and means to tilt the base upon its pivot to bring the fingers into action at different positions of the tube.

4. A switch organization comprising a Bourdon tube, a base block pivoted relative to the Bourdon tube, a switch arm fulcrumed upon the base block, a spring positioned to exert tension across and normally upon one side of the fulcrum, a finger carried by the Bourdon tube positioned to exert pressure upon the spring laterally tending to shift the tension across to the opposite'side of the fulcrum, and means to tilt the base upon its pivot to bring the finger into action at different positions of the tube.

5. A switch organization comprising a Bourdon tube, a base block pivoted relative to the Bourdon tube, a plurality of cooperating switch arms fulcrumed upon the base, springs positioned to exert tension across the fulcrum, a finger carried by the Bourdon tube positioned to exert pressure upon the springs tending to shift the tensions successively across the fulcrums, and means to tilt the base upon its pivot to bring the finger into action at different positions of the' tube.

6. A switch organization comprising a Bourdon tube, a base block pivoted relative to the Bourdon tube, a plurality of cooperating switch arms fulcrumed upon the base, springs positioned to exert tension across and normally upon one side of the fulcrum, a finger carried by the Bourdon tube positioned to exert pressure laterally and successively upon the springs tending to shift the tensions successively across to the opposite sides of the fulcrums, and means totilt the base upon its pivot to bring the finger into action at diflerent positions of the tube. I

FRED W. SONN. 

